PREDICTING SYMPTOMATIC DISTRESS IN EMERGENCY SERVICES PERSONNEL

This study identified predictors of symptomatic distress in emergency services (EMS) personnel exposed to traumatic critical incidents. A re plication was performed in 2 groups: 154 EMS workers involved in the 1 989 Interstate 880 freeway collapse during the San Francisco Bay area earthquake, and 213 counterparts from the Bay area and from San Diego. Evaluated predictors included exposure, social support, and psycholog ical traits. Replicated analyses showed that levels of symptomatic dis tress were positively related to the degree of exposure to the critica l incident. Level of adjustment was also related to symptomatic distre ss. After exposure, adjustment, social support, years of experience on the job, and locus of control were controlled, 2 dissociative variabl es remained strongly predictive of symptomatic response. The study str engthens the literature linking dissociative tendencies and experience s to distress from exposure to traumatic stressors.